India gained independence in 1947, and Israel followed within several months – in May 1948. But official diplomatic relations between the two countries were established only in January 1992. During the 44 years which passed between their achievement of independence and the establishment of full diplomatic relations between the two countries, India’s behaviour toward Israel was characterized by reservation, unfriendliness, and even hostility.
Following extensive efforts, in 1950 India agreed to grant Israel diplomatic recognition. Although this was full and de jure recognition, India refused to establish diplomatic relations with Israel and did not agree to exchange diplomatic representations with it.
During the 44 years which passed between their (India and Israel) achievement of independence and the establishment of full diplomatic relations between the two countries, Indias behaviour toward Israel was characterized by reservation, unfriendliness, and even hostility.
India’s first prime minister – Jawaharlal Nehru, who also headed the Congress Party which had led India’s struggle against the British for independence – was hostile to Zionism and greatly supported the Arab national movement for many years even before India’s independence, because of his emotional attitude toward the Arab states, coupled with his country’s perceived economic interests.1 This policy continued throughout his years of tenure as prime minister of the independent Republic of India.
In 1951 minor progress was made when India allowed Israel to appoint a local Jewish resident as honorary consul in Bombay (Mumbai) and, in 1953, Israel was permitted to open a consulate in Bombay. But India refrained from establishing a representation of any kind in Israel. Various Israeli personages visited India from time to time and met with Nehru and other political figures, but India’s stubborn refusal to establish full diplomatic relations with Israel remained systematically and consistently in effect.
In 1964 Nehru passed away. From then on, and especially after the Six-Day War in June 1967(Arab-Israel war), India’s behaviour toward Israel became considerably more negative, particularly during the tenure of his daughter, Indira Gandhi, as prime minister. For many long years there was no dialogue or significant diplomatic contact of any kind between the two countries.
The Diplomatic Climate Changes
The international situation changed at the end of the ’80s and the beginning of the ’90s. First, there was the collapse of the Soviet Union, India’s veteran ally and arms supplier, which was a blow to India. Secondly, there was the Gulf War in 1991, which exposed severe weaknesses and splits within the Arab world. Thirdly, the period saw the negotiations being conduced between Israel and the P.L.O. with the participation and under the auspices of many countries, and India wanted to be included among them to enhance its national prestige. However, the most significant change in this context occurred within India itself: Narasimha Rao was elected prime minister.
India took its first positive step in December 1991, when it voted in favor of the annulment of UN Resolution 3379, which equated Zionism with racism.
Despite his membership in the Congress Party, Rao fundamentally changed the policy of his predecessors and cancelled the ostensibly socialist economic practices which had been in effect during the regimes of Nehru, his daughter Indira Gandhi and his grandson Rajiv Gandhi. Rao introduced a policy of promoting a liberal and open economy, in an effort to free India from its economic distress and the terrible poverty and deprivation from which a substantial percentage of its population suffered. To this end he required the support of the United States of America in particular, and Western investments in general. He had therefore to improve India’s relations with the United States, which had become the world’s only super power.2
In addition, a number of other factors came into play: the end of the “Cold War” greatly diminished the political and ideological importance of the “non-aligned” world; the lower oil prices of the early ‘90s reduced India’s dependence on oil from the Arab countries; and the pro-Pakistani bias of the Organization of Islamic Conference (OIC) with regard to the conflict over Kashmir prompted India to reassess its Middle East policy.
At the same time, Israel made it clear that any Indian participation in the Middle East peace process, including the Madrid Conference on the Middle East , which was scheduled for the end of 1991, was dependent on the normalization of relations between the two countries. And the rise of Islamic radicalism, as well as the upsurge of terror, worsened the state of local and regional security in India, where this was perceived as a shared concern with Israel and maybe also as an opportunity to consider potential security cooperation with her.
India took its first positive step in December 1991, when it voted in favor of the annulment of UN Resolution 3379, which equated Zionism with racism. Ironically, it was at this very same time that a tragic incident occurred which prompted Israel to establish contact and initiate a dialogue with India.
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